1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical apparatus, devices and/or systems for performing endoscopic surgical procedures and methods of use thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to electromechanical, hand-held surgical apparatus, devices and/or systems configured for use with removable disposable loading units and/or single use loading units for clamping, cutting and/or stapling tissue.
2. Background of Related Art
A number of surgical device manufacturers have developed product lines with proprietary drive systems for operating and/or manipulating electromechanical surgical devices. Some electromechanical surgical devices include a handle assembly, which is reusable, and replaceable loading units and/or single use loading units or the like that are selectively connected to the handle assembly prior to use and then disconnected from the handle assembly following use, in order to be disposed of or in some instances sterilized for re-use.
The replaceable loading units and/or single use loading units may include staples of various sizes and the staples may be arranged in one or more configurations. After firing the stapler with a replaceable loading unit, the user may remove the empty loading unit, select and attach to the stapler another loading unit having staples of the same or different size and the same or different staple arrangement, and fire the stapler again. This process may be performed repeatedly during a surgical procedure.
The loading units have an end stop which is an indication that all staples have been fired. Rapid detection of the end stop is important to prevent damage to the surgical device. During a surgical procedure, the stapler often detects an end stop of the end-effector assembly by measuring the current from the motor. However, motor current measurements may not be entirely reliable.
Accordingly, a need exists for electromechanical surgical apparatus, devices and/or systems that are capable of rapidly and accurately detecting an end stop of an end effector assembly.